Locomotive tender and stoker mechanism



Feb. 19, 1935.

A G. M. MYERS lLOCOMO'IIVE TENDER AND STOKER MECHANISM Filed Jul-y 22, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR uyd/Zyef ATTORNEY. L

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Feb. 19, 1935.

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Feb. 19, 1935. G. M. MYERS LOCOMOTIVE TENDER AND STOKER MECHANISM Filed July 22, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. /yd f/Zg 5 A TTORNE Y.

Patented Feb. 19, 1935 LOCOMOTIVE TENDER AND STOKER MECHANISM Guy M. ,Myer-s, Clarendon, Va., assigner toThe Standard Stoker Company, Incorporated, a corporation of Delaware Application July 22,l 1931, Serial No. 552,334

3 Claims.

My invention relates generally to appliances for mechanically advancing fuel from a source of fuel supply to the firing opening of a steam generator. It appertains especially to such ap- 5 pliances for steam locomotives, and its object is the provision of means in the fuel bunker of the tender arranged to maintain a supply of fuel therein adjacent the fuel gate and the provision of means positioned below said supply of fuel for lo advancing the same to a firing opening in the locomotive nrebox. The invention contemplates that the fuel advancing mechanism shall occupy a minimum of the space on the tender that can be used to store a supply of water.

-In carrying out my invention I provide a reciprocable pusher member above the fuel bunker floor exterior of the water compartment or space that can be utilized for water storage for maintaining a supply of fuel just rearward of the fuel 20 gate above an opening in the oor controlled by a slidable plate through which opening the fuel falls into the rearward end portion of a conveyor positioned beneath the bunker oor in a small compartment at the front end of the tender where- 26 from the fuel is carried forward to the rebox.

'I'his arrangement of the fuel advancing mechanism obviates the use of an extremely long fuel trough and screw conveyor extending in the water compartment or in a special compartment formed in the water space extending rearwardly on the tender the full length of the fuel bunker as has heretofore necessarily been required with large tenders; or from another point of view adoption of the invention with either small or large tenders sk will greatly increase their water carrying capacity eliminating one or more stops for taking on water, hence enabling faster train schedules to be made effective.

The improvements claimed are hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings Y Figure 1 is a central vertical longitudinal section through a locomotive and tender, illustrating an application of my invention; d l Figure 2 is a transverse vertical cross section on the line 2 2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view of the front end portion ofthe tender of AFigure 1 with portions ofthe fuel advancing means shown in sidev elevation;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 1, but illustrating a modification of the vinvention; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of Figure 4 with part of the tender in section.

On the drawings, referring now particularly to Figures 1 to 3 inclusive,v which illustrate the preferred embodiment of my invention, the locomotive as a Whole is indicated at and its tender at 11. 'I'he locomotive is of conventional form having the usual firebox structure 12, the backwall 13, with a ring opening therein at 14, grates 15, and a cab 16 provided with a floor or deck 17. 'Ihe backhead 13 carries the forward conduit section 18 of the fuel advancing mechanism. This conduit section is xed rigidly to the backwall with its mouth or discharge end communicating with the firing opening 14, from which opening the aforesaid section extends downwardly and rearwardly to a point beneath the cab deck 17 Where it terminates in a horizontally split spherical seat portion 19. As will presently appear fuel is advanced through the conduit section 18 into the firing opening where it is received by distributing means comprising a deecting plate 20 and the rearwardly disposed nozzle or head 21 arranged in a suitable manner to discharge a blast of pressure uid across the deflecting plate.

The tender 11 is of improved construction. 22 represents its water compartment and 23 the fuel bunker or compartment. 'I'hese compartments are separated by back and side partition plates 24 together with the tender deck or fuel compartment iioor 25. This floor is centrally apertured at 26 adjacent or immediately rearward ofthe fuel gate 27. The aperture forms a discharge opening for the fuel and is controlled by a slid- ,able plate 28. In practice this opening probably would not be more than thirty inches square.

' Suitable means is provided in the fuel bunker above the ioor thereof, exterior of the water compartment 22, for advancing the fuel therein 4forwardly toward the fuel gate 27 and maintaining a supply of fuel above the opening 26. For this purpose I provide a reciprocable pusher member indicated as a Whole at A. This device is secured through its housing member 29 by any desired fastening means to the back slope sheet 24. Pusher cross-heads 30' and 30a, coupled together by links 31'are adapted to reciprocate over a contour plate 32 which covers a portion of the back slope sheet'24 and the floor 25. Reciprocating movement is imparted to the heads by the rod 33 from' a motor indicated generally at 34. The motor is`controlled by the operating valve structurev atv35 manually operable from the handle 36'at the front end of the tender. Since the detail construction of the pusher member Av and its operating mechanism perse forms no Part 0f my invention. it will not be further described. It is of known form in the art and best illustrated in United States Letters Patent 1,747,899, granted February 18, 1930 to Francis Hogg for Coal pusher for locomotive tenders.

It will be understood the pusher device A on its backward ,reciprocating movement acts to loosen the fuel and on its forward movement functions to advancthefuel to the front end of the tender over the opening 26. 'I'he device is operated at intervals only when it becomes necessary to replenishythe supply of fuel over the opening 26 with fuel from the rear part of the fuel bunker. Referring particularly to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the stroke of the pusher member 30 is approximately equal to the longitudinal dimension of the opening 26 so that only so much fuel is pushed forwardly at each forward stroke of the pusher member 30 as can be accommodated by the opening 26.

Fuel falling through the opening 26 passes into the chute 37 dropping therethrough into the conveyor or elevator indicated generally at 38, the screw 39 thereof serving to carry the fuel forwardly to and force it through the conduit section 18 on the locomotive 10. The chute 37 is formed .in a bracket or supporting member 40. This bracket comprises, the longitudinally extending parallel sidewalls 41, 41a, the transverse cross walls 42, and 43, the footplate 44, and the foot members 45. The footplate and members 44 and 45 secure the bracket 40 to the tender frame 46 in a position at the front end of the'y tender beneath the opening 26 of the tender floor within a small water tight compartment 47 open at its forward end. This compartment is formed by the upright walls 48, 49 -and 49a together with the tender sloping extensions 52, 52a of the bracket sidewalls. Y

The crusher jaw 51 is provided with the trunnions 53, which are journaled in suitable bearings in the bracket 40.v One end of the trunnion 53 of thecrusher jaw is secured to a crank arm 54 which receives vibratorymotion from the connecting rod 55 coupled to the large gear 56 which is driven from the pinion 57 on the cross shaft 58 suitably journaled in the bracket 40. Bevel gears 59 and 60 drive the shaft 58 from the motor 61 through intermediate gearing 62 and the drive shaft 63. Thus oscillating or vibratory` motion is transmitted to the crusher jaw 51 from the motor.

Continuous rotary motion is imparted from the same motor 61 to the screw conveyor 39 through the bevel gear'64 on the shaft 58, meshing with a similar gear 65 on a shaft 66 journaled inthe wall 43 of the bracket 40, which shaft 66 is universally jointed at 67 to the hubshaft 68 of the aforesaid screw. The motor 61 and its intermediate gearing 62 is mounted on the tender frame 46 forward of the front wall of the tender and at one side of the conveyoror elevator 3 8 a suflicientl ward end portion 71 in the spherical seat 19 of the forward conduit section 18. The portion 71 is extensible with its ball member 72 in order to permit complete articulation between the parts of the fuel feed mechanism on the locomotive and tender.

A modified form of the invention is shown in Figures 4 and 5. In this construction fuel maintained adjacent the fuel gate 27 by the pusher device A falls through the opening 26 of the tender floor 25 in to an unobstructed chute 80 formed by walls having smooth internal surfaces and being secured'to the tender floor by any suitable attachment means through the flange 82. The hopper 83 of the conveyor or elevator conduit indicated generally at 84 is disposed directly beneath the chute to receive the fuel therefrom. A screw 85 within the aforesaid conduit advances fuel through the same and in cooperation with the crusher 86, mounted in a hopper 83 oversaid screw, serves to break down the oversize lump fuel. 'Ihe screw 85 at its rearward end is driven from the shaft 87 associated with gearing 88 mounted in the housing 89 of the hopper, which gearing is driven by the flexibly connected extensible shaft 90 from the motor 61. In all other respects this modified form of the invention is the same as the form heretofore described and like parts have been given the same reference, characters.

In operation of my invention referring particularly t'o the preferred construction, a supply of fuel is at all times maintained in the fuel bunker adjacent the fuel gate 27 over the opening 26 of the floor 25 by operation at intervals of the pusher member A. Subject to regulation by the slidable plate 28, the fuelpasses through the opening 26 into the chute 37 where a crusher composed of the prongs 50 and the vibratory crusher jaw 51 breaks down the lump fuel passing the same together with the finer particles of fuel downwardly in to the hopper portion 69 of the conveyor 38. The fuel from the chute drops directly on to the advancing screw 39 which carries it forwardly to the forward conduitsection 18 through which the screw forces the fuel in to the firing opening 14 .where it is received by a distributing means comprising the defiector plate 20 and nozzle 21 acting coniointly to spread the fuel in aerial paths overthe firebox grate 15. The exible mounting of the conveyor 38 at its ends permits articulation between the locomotive and tender. In the modined constructionthe operation is the same with the exception that the crushing of fuel takes place after the fuel has been received by the conveying or elevating mechanism which carries it forwardly to the locomotive. In both .embodiments or my mvenuon it win be understood the pusher device A is operated independently of the conveying and crushing mechanism mounted beneath the fuel bunker.

1. In a locomotive tender, .a fuel bin, a floor and a rear slope sheet" for said bin,I a fuel gate above said floor at the forward end of said bin, a relatively small water tight compartment beneath said floor'l at the forward end of the tender, said compartment having an open forward end and a rear wall forward of the lowermost end of said rear slope sheet, an opening in said floor extending from a point adjacent-said fuel gate rearwardly to a point intermediate' said fuel gate and the rear wall of said compartment, said opening providing communication between said bin and said compartment, a slidable plate movable across said opening to control the passage of fuel from said bin through said opening, a reciprocable fuel advancing means disposed within said bin wholly above the floor thereof, said means having upstanding pushing surfaces, the foremost of said pushing surfaces in its foremost position being rearward of said opening a distance approximating the travel of said reciprocable fuel advancing means, the stroke of said pushing surface be` ing approximately equal to the longitudinal dimension of said opening and a conveyor extending forwardly from said tender having its rearward end portion mounted in said compartment beneath said opening to receive fuel from said bin.

2. In a locomotive tender, a fuel bin, a floor and a rear slope sheet for said bin, a fuel gate above said floor at the forward end of said bin, a relatively small water tight compartment beneath said floor at the forward end of the tender, said compartment having an open forward end and a rear wall forward of the lowermost end of said rear slope sheet, a Water reservoir extending forwardly from the rear of the tender beneath the bin to the rear wall of said compartment and on either side of said compartment, an opening in said oor extending from a point adjacent said fuel gate rearwardly to a point intermediate said fuel gate and the rear wall of said compartment, said opening providing communication between said bin and said compartment, a slidable plate movable across said opening to control the passage of fuel from said bin through said opening, a reciprocable fuel advancing means disposed within said bin wholly above the oor thereof, said means having upstanding push surfaces,

said pushing surfaces having a stroke approximately equal to the longitudinal dimension of said opening and a conveyor extending forwardly from said tender having its rearward end portion mounted in said compartment beneath said opening to receive fuel from said bin.

3. In a locomotive tender, a fuel bin, a floor and a rear slope sheet for said bin, a fuel gate above said'iioor at the forward end of said bin, a relatively small water tight compartment beneath said door at the forward end of the tender, said compartment having an open forward end and a rear wall forward of the lowermost end of said rear slope sheet, an opening in said floor extending from a point adjacent said fuel gate rearwardly to a point intermediate said fuel gate and the rear wall of said compartment, a chute extending downwardly in said compartment from said opening, fuel crushing means formed with said chute, a slidable plate movable across said opening to control the passage of fuel from said bin to said chute, a reciprocable fuel advancing means disposed within said bin wholly above the iioor thereof, said means having upstanding pushing surfaces, the foremost of said pushing surfaces inlits foremost position being rearward of said opening a distance approximating the travel of said reciprocable fuel advancing means, the

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